Devices for the electrical stimulation of the olfactory system: A review.

The loss of olfactory function has a profound impact on quality of life, affecting not only sensory perception but also memory, emotion, and overall well-being. Despite this, advancements in olfactory prostheses have lagged significantly behind those made for vision and hearing restoration. This review offers a comprehensive analysis of the current state of devices for electrical stimulation of the olfactory system.

A stratified treatment algorithm in psychiatry: a program on stratified pharmacogenomics in severe mental illness (Psych-STRATA): concept, objectives and methodologies of a multidisciplinary project funded by Horizon Europe.

Schizophrenia (SCZ), bipolar (BD) and major depression disorder (MDD) are severe psychiatric disorders that are challenging to treat, often leading to treatment resistance (TR). It is crucial to develop effective methods to identify and treat patients at risk of TR at an early stage in a personalized manner, considering their biological basis, their clinical and psychosocial characteristics. Effective translation of theoretical knowledge into clinical practice is essential for achieving this goal.

Three-Dimensional Bone-Image Synthesis with Generative Adversarial Networks.

Medical image processing has been highlighted as an area where deep-learning-based models have the greatest potential. However, in the medical field, in particular, problems of data availability and privacy are hampering research progress and, thus, rapid implementation in clinical routine. The generation of synthetic data not only ensures privacy but also allows the drawing of new patients with specific characteristics, enabling the development of data-driven models on a much larger scale.

Psychometric evaluation and community norms of the PHQ-9, based on a representative German sample.

Background: The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) is a popular tool for assessing depressive symptoms in both general and clinical populations. The present study used a large representative sample of the German adult population to confirm desired psychometric functioning and to provide updated population norms.

Methods: The following psychometric properties were assessed: (i) Item characteristics (item means, standard deviations and inter-item correlations), (ii) Construct validity (correlations of the PHQ-9 sum-score with scores obtained from instruments assessing depression, anxiety and somatization (GAD-7, BSI-18), (iii) Internal consistency (coefficient omega), (iv) Factorial validity (via confirmatory factor analysis of the assumed one factorial model) as well as (v) Measurement invariance (via multi-group confirmatory factor analyses across gender, age, income and education).

Subchondral bone marrow adipose tissue lipolysis regulates bone formation in hand osteoarthritis.

Objective: Bone marrow adipose tissue (BMAT) is emerging as an important regulator of bone formation and energy metabolism. Lipolysis of BMAT releases glycerol and fatty acid substrates that are catabolized by osteoblasts. Here, we investigated whether BMAT lipolysis is involved in subchondral bone formation in hand osteoarthritis (OA).

CARVEDILOL IN PATIENTS WITH UNCONTROLLED AND RESISTANT ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION.

Background: The use of beta-blockers in treating resistant hypertension remains poorly understood. While PATHWAY-2 showed a systolic blood pressure benefit with bisoprolol, further research is needed to evaluate other beta-blockers in terms of the effect of systolic blood pressure, assess diastolic blood pressure effects, and guide management in patients intolerant to CCBs as well.

Objectives: Our study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Carvedilol (non-selective beta-blocker with alpha-1 blocking function) in the management of resistant hypertension, including in patients intolerant to calcium channel blockers.

Semantic Integration Demands Modulate Large-Scale Network Interactions in the Brain.

The ability to integrate semantic information into the context of a sentence is essential for human communication. Several studies have shown that the predictability of a final keyword based on the sentence context influences semantic integration on the behavioral, neurophysiological, and neural level. However, the architecture of the underlying network interactions for semantic integration across the lifespan remains unclear.

Widening the infantile hypotonia with psychomotor retardation and characteristic Facies-1 Syndrome's clinical and molecular spectrum through NALCN structural analysis.

Introduction: Infantile hypotonia with psychomotor retardation and characteristic facies-1 (IHPRF1, MIM#615419) is a rare, birth onset, autosomal recessive disorder caused by homozygous or compound heterozygous truncating variants in gene (MIM#611549) resulting in a loss-of-function effect.

Methods: We enrolled a new IHPRF1 patients' cohort in the framework of an international multicentric collaboration study. Using specialized pathogenicity predictors and structural analyses, we assessed the mechanistic consequences of the deleterious variants retrieved on NALCN structure and function.

Efficacy of Flow Diverters in Managing Multiple Aneurysms: A Clinical Case Report.

Brain aneurysms, also known as cerebral aneurysms, are the growths of the parent artery. Based on their shape, aneurysms can be categorized as saccular or non-saccular. Several factors have been linked to multiple brain aneurysms but the most prevalent is arterial hypertension.

Bayesian Reanalyses of the Trials TOMAHAWK and COACT.

Background: The timing of coronary angiography in patients with successfully resuscitated out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and missing ST-segment elevations on the electrocardiogram has been investigated in 2 large randomized controlled trials, TOMAHAWK (Angiography After Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Without ST-Segment Elevation) and COACT (Coronary Angiography After Cardiac Arrest Trial). Both trials found neutral results for immediate vs delayed/selective coronary angiography on short-term all-cause mortality. The TOMAHAWK trial showed a tendency towards harm with immediate coronary angiography, though not statistically significant with traditional frequentist methods.

How a Dysphonia App Can Promote the Motivation of Speech Therapists and Patients in the Long Term-A Qualitative Study in the LAOLA Project.

Objective: The care of patients with dysphonia will change due to the growing shortage of specialists, demographic change, and digitalization. To counteract the associated problems in patient care, the LAOLA app demonstrator is to be developed. In the future, patients will receive exercise videos for their training from their treating speech and language pathologist (SLP) via LAOLA.

An update on access to novel treatment for metastatic melanoma in Europe - A 2024 survey of the European melanoma registry and the European association of dermato-oncology.

Advances in cancer treatments have significantly improved their effectiveness, yet access to first-line therapies remains limited. A 2017 survey revealed that over 25 % of metastatic melanoma patients in Europe lacked access to recommended therapies. To address this, the European Association of Dermato-Oncology and the European Melanoma Registry conducted a follow-up study on the registration and reimbursement of first-line treatments.

Factors associated with low birth weight in low-income populations in the Western Balkans: insights from the multiple indicator cluster survey.

Introduction: Low birth weight, defined as a birth weight below 2,500 g, represents a significant public health concern with a multifactorial risk dimension. Socio-demographic factors and individual characteristics of women and their social environment could influence low birth weight. This study aimed to analyze the association between the socio-demographic and reproductive characteristics of women living in low-income households and low birth weight in Serbia, Kosovo, and Montenegro.

Ecologically sustainable benchmarking of AI models for histopathology.

Deep learning (DL) holds great promise to improve medical diagnostics, including pathology. Current DL research mainly focuses on performance. DL implementation potentially leads to environmental consequences but approaches for assessment of both performance and carbon footprint are missing.

A unified deep-learning framework for enhanced patient-specific quality assurance of intensity-modulated radiation therapy plans.

Background: Modern radiation therapy techniques, such as intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT), use complex fluence modulation strategies to achieve optimal patient dose distribution. Ensuring their accuracy necessitates rigorous patient-specific quality assurance (PSQA), traditionally done through pretreatment measurements with detector arrays. While effective, these methods are labor-intensive and time-consuming.

Integrated analysis of cell cycle and p53 signaling pathways related genes in breast, colorectal, lung, and pancreatic cancers: implications for prognosis and drug sensitivity for therapeutic potential.

Cancer, a leading cause of death worldwide, is projected to increase by 76.6% in new cases and 89.7% in mortality by 2050 (WHO 2022).

Clinical significance of postoperative acute pancreatitis of non-resection genesis in abdominal surgery.

Objective: Aim: To analyse in detail the incidence of POAP after urgent abdominal and endoscopic transpapillary surgical interventions.

Patients And Methods: Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis of 52 clinical cases of POAP was done, among which 27 patients developed POAP after urgent abdominal interventions and 25 patients - after endoscopic transpapillary interventions.

Results: Results: The incidence of POAP after urgent surgical interventions consisted 0,3%, after endoscopic transpapillary interventions - 18,25%.

Respiratory Viruses in Patients With Hematological Malignancy in Boreal Autumn/Winter 2023-2024: EPICOVIDEHA-EPIFLUEHA Report.

Community-acquired respiratory viral infections (CARV) significantly impact patients with hematological malignancies (HM), leading to high morbidity and mortality. However, large-scale, real-world data on CARV in these patients is limited. This study analyzed data from the EPICOVIDEHA-EPIFLUEHA registry, focusing on patients with HM diagnosed with CARV during the 2023-2024 autumn-winter season.

Workshop report: Clinical training and integration of genetic counselors into interprofessional teams in the German-speaking countries.

In spring 2022, the inaugural cohort of Genetic and Genomic Counseling MSc students graduated from the Medical University of Innsbruck, representing a significant milestone for the establishment of the genetic counselor (GC) profession in the German-speaking countries. A pivotal component of their education was a 15-week clinical training period. The placement experiences of both students and supervisors offered valuable insights into the attitudes of medical geneticists toward the profession.

Intraoperative Hyperspectral Imaging Predicts Early Allograft Dysfunction and Overall Survival in Liver Transplantation.

Objective: This study explored the novel application of hyperspectral imaging (HSI) for in vivo allograft perfusion assessment during liver transplantation (LT) and its potential value for predicting early allograft dysfunction (EAD), graft, and overall survival (OS).

Background: LT is a well-established therapy for acute and chronic liver diseases, with excellent outcomes. However, a significant proportion of recipients experience EAD, which affects graft and OS.

Prediction of radiological decision errors from longitudinal analysis of gaze and image features.

Medical imaging, particularly radiography, is an indispensable part of diagnosing many chest diseases. Final diagnoses are made by radiologists based on images, but the decision-making process is always associated with a risk of incorrect interpretation. Incorrectly interpreted data can lead to delays in treatment, a prescription of inappropriate therapy, or even a completely missed diagnosis.

Risk analyses for perioperative morbidities after aseptic knee revision arthroplasty.

Introduction: Total lower limb arthroplasties are standard orthopedic surgeries that are steadily increasing in modern civilization. In proportion, the number of revision arthroplasties and the corresponding financial burden for healthcare systems will increase. The present clinical investigation analyzed morbidities after aseptic revision knee arthroplasty.

Comments on EFSUMB recommendations, role of ultrasound in cutaneous neoplasms.

The European Federation of Societies for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology (EFSUMB) has been publishing guidelines, position papers and also technical reviews. In addition, comments have been published for illustration of such papers including the hepatobiliary system, pancreas, lung and other organs. In the current paper, we aim to summarize the typical sonographic findings of the most commonly seen cutaneous neoplasms.